With lure of insurance offering $8M discount on his expiring $17M salary, Yao could be attractive for a contender looking to make the next step to a championship next season if his health returns.

Could he be a viable piece for a team like Chicago or Utah, teams that would need one more piece in their hopes of a championship run?

Or would the Spurs be willing to trade a couple of players for a shot at the depth that Yao would bring inside?

It would be a mark for a team willing to take a game in its quest to win a championship. The Spurs’ wily braintrust likely wouldn’t want to affect any of its young core players to get to that point in the forseeable future.

But other teams that haven’t won championships might be more willing to take chance on the oft-injured Yao.